Sunday, April 7, 2013

Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company

Last night I saw the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company perform at the Joyce. I have always loved this company, since I first saw them at the SUNY Purchase Performing Arts Center in the early 90s. I have also seen them perform at Celebrate Brooklyn! and at the Metropolitan Museum performance space.

Last night's dances were beautiful, eclectic, and dynamic. One of the dances, Continuous Replay, featured naked performers, and was performed in a jarring, rhythmic manner that was fascinating but uncomfortable. The music for all three dances was beautiful, and the choreography complex.

(The image pictured here is from another performance).

Writing about an earlier performance this year, The New York Times stated:

"Moment by moment the Jones/Zane choreography knows how to grab your
attention. Pronounced contrasts of dynamics, space, direction and scale
proliferate. Attention seeking, indeed, is very close to the heart of
the Jones/Zane endeavor; the choreography is intensely audience-focused
and frequently on the cusp of knowing cuteness, even at its most
serious. Although viewers may find that the mind wanders, the eye
doesn’t.

“Continuous Replay,” occurring on both programs and featuring different
guest artists on Friday and Saturday, is a thorough primer in Jones/Zane
style: sharp versus flowing, large versus small, straight versus
angled. Though the dancers advance through space in straight lines by
means of metric footwork, the main emphasis is on the upper body. Turns
of the head to the audience have special emphasis, and in the most
memorable gesture, dancers turn their faces to the front to deliver a
double hiss (almost a “hee-hee” sound) through gritted teeth."